Well if they have the military orders in the bag they think it's best to target potential buyers ie civlians, not a very succesful strategy so far though.

+ by the way, Pawan Hans is in talks with HAL to order 10 ALH MK.3 with these "luxery" interiors.

++ the LUH may be able to seize a sizeable chunk of the civlian market in India if the price point is right. The ALH was never going to do it by being on the heavier side of the light catergory and being twin engined. The LUH could seriously clean up (being light weight, no frills and single engined).

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Nothing is going to work If the current set up is maintained. We saw how HAL handled service etc in Ecuador its first foreign customers.
Best option is to give license of manufacturing and servicing to any company which is efficient to handle customers requirements on time for eg May be Tata, Mahindra

Nothing is going to work If the current set up is maintained. We saw how HAL handled service etc in Ecuador its first foreign customers.
Best option is to give license of manufacturing and servicing to any company which is efficient to handle customers requirements on time for eg May be Tata, Mahindra

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The Ecuadorian case was very unique, I don't think the same mistakes would be made again but I'm not that certain that the answer lays in outsourcing service to Tata/Mahindra, HAL has all the expertise themselves.

And to be honest I am more sure that HAL was used as a scapegoat for the crash-happy FAE, their flight safety record across all types is abysmal. It was a poor choice of customer by HAL really.

The Ecuadorian case was very unique, I don't think the same mistakes would be made again but I'm not that certain that the answer lays in outsourcing service to Tata/Mahindra, HAL has all the expertise themselves.

And to be honest I am more sure that HAL was used as a scapegoat for the crash-happy FAE, their flight safety record across all types is abysmal. It was a poor choice of customer by HAL really.

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Whatever was the reason but HAL incompetence to deal with foreign customers can't be brushed under carpet. Its their responsibility to warn the customer about mishandling the machine for eg like Car companies reminds customers for service at proper time/km and if you violate it your warranty is lapsed

It’s been lurking furtively in brochures and in the doldrum zone of HAL’s website, so it was a surprise when HAL announced a few days ago that they’d be splashing it up at Aero India 2017 with the Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH). Few had even heard of the IMRH, given the project was originally meant to be a joint programme with a foreign rotorcraft house like the erstwhile Eurocopter. What HAL has now unveiled is an ambitious 12.5 ton beast of a mock-up that will be hewn over time into, hopefully, a helicopter every bit as capable as the one in the animated movie that your correspondent found blaring at the HAL pavillion (posted above). To be sure, there’s clarity now: the IMRH is a fully Indian design and will be populated by a series of systems to speed up development.

The IMRH mockup, built by Tata Elxsi, was in civilian VVIP config — its interiors with plush leather seats. HAL hasn’t chosen engines or other systems yet, but plans to do so next year with the beginning of prototyping. Funded internally based on positive interest from the three services over the years for a multirole medium-heavy copter that can be tweaked for multiple roles, HAL sees a domestic market for at least 150 machines across variants. As with its other rotorcraft offerings, HAL underscores high altitude performance as a stand-out feature that will allow the IMRH to better comparable rotorcraft in the world market.

It’s a monster copter at first sight, high and fat, and HAL promises it will be every bit as rugged as it’s brochure material says it will be. From special forces ops to anti-submarine warfare, from troop transport to heavy logistics and CASEVAC, the IMRH has been set a formidable target to achieve. While your correspondent couldn’t get HAL to commit to timeframes, an executive involved with the design stage said HAL would look to prototype the chopper by somewhere in 2020, with the intention of fielding it by 2024-25.

In terms of tonnage and carrying capability, the IMRH is comparable to the Mi-17, but the mockup suggests a significantly less lean structure than the Mi-17. HAL explains away the bulkier design to the modular latitude it is building into the airframe for the many more roles the helicopter is being built for. An HAL executive points out the IMRH’s roomy cabin that allows passengers to stand straight inside, not crouch even a little. (He’s got a knowing smile on this face — it was this requirement by the Prime Minister’s Office in the 2010 VVIP helicopter deal that became controversial later, finally contributing to the collapse of the contract with Agusta-Westland).

The IMRH has a specific emphasis on naval operations, both anti-submarine as well as anti-ship. The reasons aren’t difficult to see: HAL doesn’t have an in-house copter product that has succeeded with the Indian Navy (license-built Chetaks aren’t counted). The Dhruv was purchased in far smaller numbers by the Navy than intended since it fell between stools and didn’t really meet the maritime requirement the navy had hoped it would. HAL is hoping to make up for that with the IMRH, which it hopes will evolve into a credible submarine hunter too on the lines of the navy’s old Sea Kings.

As always, a prudent lessons-learned approach will be crucial. And HAL has plenty.

When i first heard of resurrection of this project last week, I assumed it's another PR stunt for AeroIndia. Looks like i'm wrong here, they are determined to go full on this project. Even without partners.

This Indian Multi Role Helicopter By HAL Aims To Take On Russian ImportsINDIATIMES | FEBRUARY 17, 2017

India has revealed its project to develop a future multi-role helicopter the biggest rotary-wing aircraft to be designed domestically with an ambitious target to get it flying within two years.

The Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) aims to replace Russian imports and will also have a naval variant for a number of roles, including anti-submarine warfare.

The first full-scale model of the IMRH was unveiled by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the AeroIndia show -- a 24-seater 12-tonne class chopper with roles varying from tactical troop transport, offshore operations, VVIP transport and a special capability to operate at high altitudes.

"The proposed IMRH will be powered by twin engines (to be identified), equipped with Automatic Flight Control System, state-of-the-art Mission systems, Advanced Cockpit Display and Avionic Systems, etc. to meet the Utility and Armed Roles of Indian Armed Forces. A dedicated Naval variant is also planned."

GRAFFIOTECH

The Indian manufacturer has made its intent clear that the chopper will look at replacing the Mi 17 class of helicopters that are in wide use in India and abroad. The IMRH has similar specifications and aims to undertake more roles than the Russian workhorse that is used for most frontline operations by the Indian Air Force.

The LUH, which is in high demand by the army and air force that is looking to replace its Cheetah/Chetak fleet, undertook its first flight last year, with a target to get basic platform certifications by the end of 2017.

BENGALURU, India—Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) aims at building a rotorcraft in the class of the Sikorsky S-92 and Russian Helicopters Mi-17, initially to meet what it sees as the needs of the Indian air force.

A preliminary design for the aircraft, the Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH), has been worked out over the past six months, with a key objective of beating the performance of the Mi-17, currently the air force’s workhorse utility helicopter.

Project officials hope to launch full-scale development of the IMRH within six months and fly a prototype in three years. The state manufacturer will need a commitment from the government to buy about 200 helicopters before it can proceed, they say, speaking to Aviation Week at the Aero India exhibition held here Feb. 14-18. Although the preliminary design has been prepared with some knowledge of what the air force wants, the next step is to formally discuss the IMRH with the service and refine the concept.

In preparation for that, HAL displayed a full-scale mockup of the IMRH at Aero India.

Developers are aiming for the IMRH to outperform the Mi-17 on a little less weight, partly by using an airframe mainly of carbon-fiber composite. Gross weight will be 12.5 metric tons (27,600 lb.), compared with 13 metric tons for the Mi-17 and 12 metric tons for the S-92.

Two engines of 1,800 kw (2,400 hp) takeoff rating are needed. The engine will have to be imported. Candidates will include the General Electric T700. HAL’s designers have specified use of dual-channel full-authority digital engine control.

Because so much Indian territory is far above sea level, notably parts near a disputed border with China, unusually high altitude performance is required. Designers are aiming at capability to hover out of ground effect at 4,500 meters (14,800 ft.) with an 800-kg (1,800-lb.) load. The service ceiling is to be 6,500 meters. Such performance is achieved by refining the aerodynamic design of the rotor and ensuring the powerplant will operate at such an altitude.

Sea-level payload is targeted at 3,500 kg, at which altitude range should be 800 km (500 mi.). The cabin is sized to accommodate 24 soldiers. The specifications may be exceeded, program officials say. Although full-scale development frequently reveals performance-penalizing problems, the current design has margins.

Key challenges in moving up in size are in development of the rotor and transmission. The five-blade rotor will be articulated with spherical bearings. The Mi-17’s rotor has five blades and the S-92’s four.

HAL will seek assistance from foreign engineering consultancies in developing the IMRH but is ruling out partnership with another helicopter maker. Because it is short of production capacity, HAL will need a privately owned Indian industrial partner to help build the IMRH.

Another key helicopter technology is automatic flight control, but HAL has mastered it in earlier programs. The IMRH will have a four-axis autopilot.

Unlike the Mi-17 but like the S-92, the IMRH will have retractable landing gear. The four-blade tail rotor will have no bearings.

HAL would pursue an order for the navy only after securing a contract to supply the air force. This is because naval helicopters, especially when fitted with anti-submarine warfare systems, are far more complex than utility rotorcraft.

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Source AW&ST

The benchmark is Mi-17 not H225M, Not a good sign IMO. IAF is already in bed with Mi. Should go for IA and IN. Understandable since HAL want numbers to forward.
No mention of folding tail for IN.

Safran Helicopter Engines has formally launched a 2,500 to 3,000 shaft-horsepower (shp) civil turboshaft program and is planning on having an airworthy engine ready by year-end.

Safran used its Tech 3000 demonstrator as a basis for the new engine design. Safran Helicopter Engines Photo
The Pau, France-based company (previously known as Turbomeca) did not previously have an engine in this power range, and hopes the new development will find applications in the heavy helicopter segment. The Airbus Helicopters X6 program, still under wraps and expected to enter into service in the next decade, is understood to be the main target. Safran said it is also talking to Bell Helicopter, Leonardo Helicopters and Sikorsky.

The new engine is being designed as a new-generation competitor of the well-established GE CT7, and will use technologies demonstrated on Safran’s Tech 3000 program. Therefore, compared to the CT7, it will be more compact, Safran promised. “We are talking about 20 to 25 percent more power, in the same volume,” Maxime Faribault, executive vice president for OEM sales, told Vertical. Fuel consumption will be lower than that of the CT7, by a percentage “close to two digits,” he added

The new turboshaft’s architecture will resemble that of the RTM 322. It will house 3D-printed fuel nozzles, which is expected to shorten the manufacturing cycle. Further details on the new engine will be unveiled next year.

Entry into service could take place by the end of the decade. The public introduction of a 2,500-shp version, late this year, will be followed by a more powerful one at the end of 2017.

Safran’s largest in-production engine is the Makila 2A1, which has a takeoff power of 2,100 shp and equips the Airbus H225.